Infrared detector systems, LIDAR (laser illuminated detection and ranging) systems, and imaging systems in industrial processes utilize imaging pixel arrays and pulse detection pixel arrays to detect the presence of a laser pulse within an image. The properties of the laser pulse can then be analyzed by a controller to determine pertinent information such as a distance of the laser pulse, the time period of the laser pulse, or any other information needed by the controller.
Existing imaging and pulse detecting systems utilize distinct imaging circuits and pulse detection circuits, with each of the circuits have different architectures. Due to the distinct architectures, the imaging portion and the pulse detection portion do not interoperate and require the utilization of two distinct circuits within each pixel, one for each function. The dual chip configuration of existing pixels results in lager pixel sizes and increases the weight of the pixel array.